Lani Melvin worked at the Chamber for nearly three decades

For nearly three decades, Lani Melvin was the first face people saw when they stepped inside the Louisville Chamber of Commerce, and once she met you, she never forgot you.

Melvin began working as administrative assistant at the chamber in 1986 alongside former chamber executive director Eugene Caranci, who served in that capacity for 20 years.

"She was an excellent secretary. She knew everybody and she was a great friend. When someone walked in, she greeted them with a smile. She was just outstanding," he said.

Melvin, 70, died Thursday, March 20, at Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center, from a stroke she suffered the Monday before. She is survived by her sons, Chris Melvin of Louisville, and Scott Melvin of Berthoud, daughter, Ginger Fielder of Broomfield, and four grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

Chamber director Shelley Angell said working with Melvin eight hours a day for the past 17 years made them like family, and Melvin never talked about retiring from her post, because she loved her job and her city.

She had an uncanny way of recalling details about people when she ran into them on the street, or already knew a chamber visitor because she simply recognized a family resemblance, Angell said.

"She didn't know a stranger. She never forgot a face. If they came in once and came in again, she remembered them," Angell said. "She was the friendliest and most warm person I know. Working with her was amazing."

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In addition to the daily operations at the Chamber of Commerce, Melvin annually organized the Chamber's Spaghetti Open golf tournament, helped with the annual Parade of Lights and Taste of Louisville and attended the chamber after-hour events.

She continued to volunteer at Labor Day and Fourth of July events — once hosted by the chamber — after the city began overseeing them.

Melvin's daughter recalled that the family every year would gather on the corner across from the Blue Parrot at Main and Pine streets for the annual Labor Day Parade. Melvin's mom worked at the restaurant, a mainstay in Downtown Louisville, and she would come out and join them for the festivities.

When Melvin began working for the chamber, it was only right that they gathered at a new corner, outside the Chamber of Commerce, mixing both of her "families."

That corner was the spot for a fond memory Angell shared about Melvin.

Two years ago before the Parade of Lights, Melvin slipped and fell on the ice. Angell said she ran to help her but slipped as well.

"I ran and flew up in the air and landed (with my legs) straddling her like we were on a sled. And then Dexter (the chamber dog) ran and sat in her lap. Lani and I couldn't get up, we were laughing so hard," she said.

Angell said a man who witnessed the scene yelled, "They're both down!"

Melvin herself was a mainstay in Louisville. She was born in Michigan, but her family, originally from Louisville, moved back when Melvin was an infant and she stayed the rest of her life.

"My mom loved that job. That was the best thing that could have happened to her. She was a very rooted person. She loved her neighborhood. She didn't want to go anywhere," Fielder said.

Melvin served Louisville long before her stint at the Chamber.

Fielder said her brothers played baseball as kids and Melvin, who often served as team mom, went to every game and volunteered at the concessions at Miner's Field. She was also a Cub Scout leader and a classroom mom, among other groups in which she was involved.

"Lani was very energetic, very vibrant. She did more than anyone I know," Angell said.

A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 30, at Louisville Community Park, 955 Bella Vista Drive, and it is open to the public.